ArticleNorth American Spine Society journal2023
Unmasking the great imitators-noninfectious conditions masquerading as spinal tuberculosis in a developing country: A single-center case series analysis.
Article in North American Spine Society journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic Imaging of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Across Organ Systems.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- An atypical finding on serum immunofixation: a case report.Laboratory medicine · 2026Article
- Spinal infections: What is new in 2023.North American Spine Society journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis often relies on clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings, particularly in resource-constrained settings. However, numerous noninfectious conditions exhibit similar clinical and radiological features to spinal tuberculosis, leading to potential misdiagnosis in the absence of microbiological or histopathological confirmation. This study aims to present a case series from a developing country, highlighting noninfectious conditions that mimic spinal tuberculosis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on hospital records and imaging of patients diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis, lacking microbiological or histopathological evidence, and unresponsive to empirical antitubercular treatment. Patients displaying noninfectious conditions resembling spinal tuberculosis upon further investigation were included. Clinical and radiological findings of these patients were thoroughly analyzed. Results: Among a total of 23 patients observed over a 6-year period (2015-2020), various noninfectious conditions were identified as mimickers of spinal tuberculosis. These conditions included vertebral body haemangioma, ankylosing spondylitis (with or without Andersson lesion), rheumatoid pannus, osteoid osteoma, cystic hygroma, multiple myeloma, vertebral metastasis, malignant small round-cell tumor, pancreatic pseudocyst, esophageal duplication cyst, Modic changes in degenerative disc disease, Paget's disease, and psoas hematoma. Conclusion: Noninfectious spinal conditions can masquerade as spinal tuberculosis, underscoring the importance of obtaining a definitive tissue diagnosis before initiating antitubercular treatment. Particular attention should be given to features such as central lesions and the absence of soft tissue involvement in suspected cases of spinal tuberculosis, warranting a careful reconsideration of the diagnosis.
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